Guardians of the Night
by Keeper of the Fallen
Summary: This is the sequel to "Knights of the Starry Sky." Yuuki, Zero and Mark's adventure continues. They will be facing new challenges and an old evil thought to be dead. Will they be able to protect their loves one? Or will they fall into the depths of despair. You just gotta click this story and read on.(Discontinued until said otherwise)
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or anything with in, excluding the plot of this story and the OC's. This is a sequel to another one of my fanfics. (a/n: I highly suggest you read the first part of this story, "Knights of the Starry Sky.")**_

_**Chapter 1: A New Beginning**_

_**In Front of the Kuran's Mansion**_

The Kuran's Mansion...it's been abandoned for five straight years. This abandoned mansion was the setting of Kaname Kurans last moments. The sister of Kaname, Yuuki Kuran, as known back then, was the one to end the life of her brother, aided by her husband Zero Kiryuu and their friend, Mark Wakaba. These three live happy and peaceful live, raising their own families.

A man stood silently in front of the mansion. He wore a black cloak, the only thing visble was half of his face. The bangs of his dark brown hair made it difficult to see his glowing red eyes. His eye was resting upon the abandoned mansion.

No one had lived in this mansion. Kids dare each other to stay in the mansion for a set amount of time. Each child came out saying that this place was haunted. They say that they always feel like their being watched, and they could feel a dark, cold prensence in the mansion. But this did not bother this man.

The man walked to the front door, adn twisted the doorknob, slowly opening the door. A gust of wind rushed into the mansion. The man walked in, closing the door, and looked around. There were scars from the battle five years ago. Old blood stains, spots in the wall that have been broken threw by powerful impacts, burns from an unknown source of fire, and messy clothing, stuck between a crack in the floor. The man pulled out the clothing. It was a black button-up shirt, this also had some burn marks. The man walked on, shirt in hand. He moved up the stairs, his mind set on the room of Kaname Kuran's and Yuuki Kiryuu's parent's room.

The man entered the room. It was dark, you could barely see anything in the room, but you could feel the dark presence in the room. Eyes appeared in the darkness, they were radiating a deadly red. They seemed to get closer and closer, slowly. A body came into view. It was a man. He only wore dirty, ripped slacks, his long black hair was messy. He seemed weak. There was also a deep scar on his chest.

"Lord Kaname...I find it an honor to finally be in your presence."

_**POV: Yuuki Kiryuu**_

"Isn't the moon pretty, mama?"

I looked at my daughter, Subaki. Her silver hair almost blended with the snow falling from sky. She's wearing a a warm brown coat, her jeans and black boots. I kinda found it funny when she looks like she's waddling around everywhere.

We had decided to take a little walk outside. She was staring at the moon through the snow that was landing on her face, which she easily shook off. She was always amazed by the moon, always asking why its there, why it only shined at night, and how pretty it is. I had no problem with answering these question, I'm just saying she always asked them.

"Yes it is, baby," I told her. "You know, you kinda remind me of your uncle Mark. He love to look at the moon and stars like you do. He even has a little saying for them."

"Really? What was it?"

I stopped to try and remember what it was...

"Like the moon and the stars in the night sky, even in the deepest darkness, there shall always be light," a voice said from behind me. I turned around to see my husband, Zero, walking up to us.

"Papa!" Subaki yelled, running, or waddling, to her dad. Zero grabbed her up in his arms, and came over to me.

"Hi, honey," kissing me on the cheek. "How's your day?"

"Better now that you're here," I told him with a smile. He smiled back. "How'd you remember that saying?"

"How can I not when Mark keeps knocking it into my head," he joked.

"Papa, what does it mean?" Subaki asked Zero.

"What? The saying your uncle Mark told me and your mom?" Subaki nodded. "It means that even though everything seems completely hopeless, there is still hope."

"Why'd he choose the moon and stars?"

"Well that's because the moon and stars light up the night," I pointed out. Subaki gave us a smile.

"Mama and papa are so smart!" She jumped down from Zero's arms, and danced in the snow. "Someday, I'll be as smart as mama and papa! Lily will be jealous of me!"

I smiled at her. She sure has determination.

"I know you will," I told her. "Besides, you already know how to use the word 'jealous,' and you're only four!"

I walked over and hugged her.

"Speaking of Lily," Zero said. "She's asking if you want to come over for a play-date."

Subaki's eyes widened.

"Really?" She looked at me. "Mama, I want to go! Can I go please? Can I?!"

"This is your choice, Subaki," I answered. "If you want to go, you can go. Your dad and I will go too."

"Yay! I can't wait to see auntie Yori, uncle Mark and Lily!"

If any of you remember, Yori is my best friend, Mark is her husband and also a great friend to both me and Zero, and Lily is their daughter, she's Subaki's best friend and rival in almost everything. We haven't been visiting them until recently, though we find it hard to now. You see, Zero is the Hunter Association president, and ever since we got back from our four and a half years trip, Zero has been really busy. The reason I don't go is because I don't want to leave without him or I'll feel bad.

"Well then you know what you have to do, Subaki," Zero said. "Time to go home and sleep. You know how Lily's family is like, they move mostly in the day time."

The Wakaba's only have one vampire in there family, Mark. Though he is a father, his daughter only inherited his powers, nothing else, so she's almost as human as Yori. I kinda feel sorry for Mark, he stays up during the day to spend time with his family, though he seems to not be bothered about it. He's even energetic...Maybe that's just normal for him...

We're heading back to the house now. Subaki seemed to be fighting with herself. She was probably choosing to go and sleep early or not go and spend the rest of her time awake at night. Zero and I were walking on both sides of Subaki, holding her hand.

"I don't know about you, Zero," I said. "But I can't wait to see them."

_**POV: Mark Wakaba**_

I woke up with the sun shining through the window. I stretched out my tired body and looked over to my side. Yori was still sleeping. Her long brown hair was a mess. I looked under the sheets. She was wearing a black tank-top and pink underwear...No bra...Interesting...

I looked over at the digital clock on her side of the bed. It read 10:47 AM. I looked at Yori, who was silently sleeping away.

"I'm not gonna be the only one awake..." I whispered to myself. I've been getting up around this time in the morning or later, and I'm a vampire. For four straight years, I've been changing my time of sleep to night like a normal person. Though I dislike doing this, but I'm a famliy person, I want to spend time with my family, who are human or mostly human.

I looked at my sleeping wife. I moved her hair back until her neck was visible. I smiled to myself as I lean over to her 'til I was a centimeter away from her neck. A bit of my vampire nature came into play. I felt the temptation to bite her, but I had enough self-control not to. I looked at it for seconds, controling my breathing. Then I slowly licked her neck, sending a chill down her spine.

"Mmmm..." Yori suddenly moaned. Her eyes opened a peek and looked at me. "Mark..."

She got up and pressed me down against the bed. Tired as I was, I got caught off guard. Her lazy eyes staring into mine, her hand trailing up my bare chest to the side of my neck. She leaned onto me, her lips touching my neck.

"Babe, what're you doi-" She licked my neck and bit me. "Ow!"

I heard her giggle as her lips lifted off my neck. Her face now an inch away from mine.

"That hurt..." I said. "Why'd you do that?"

"I was just playing," she told with a smile. "I'm sorry...Here let me make it up..."

She kissed me, and I kissed back. It became such a blissful mome-

"D-daddy, I h-had a nightmare," Lily sobbed by the door to the room. Yori and I quickly stopped what we were doing. Yori got off me and sat on the bedside, telling Lily to come over. Lily ran over into her mother's arms.

"What was it about?" Yori asked.

"T-there was a g-girl, s-she was trying t-to tell me something," Lily told us through tears.

"Calm down, princess," I told her, getting up to sit by Yori and Lily. "You don't need to be so scared anymore, mommy and I are here with you."

She looked at me and gave me a little smile.

"O-okay."

"Good, now take a deep breathe," she did as told. "Now tell us what you dreamed about."

Lily nodded and began to explain. Apparently, a teenage girl had told her in her dream that something bad was going to happen. Lily didn't really explain what the girl was talking about. The reason she felt so scared was because she said she could see lifelessness in the girls eye, and the she said that she could feel the coldness of the girl's voice.

"It's okay now, princess," Yori comforting Lily. I got up from the bed and put on a shirt. I was already wearing sweatpants, so I didn't need to get into the trouble seaching for jeans.

"Lily, go put on some outside clothes," I told her. Yori and Lily both looked at me.

"What're we doing, daddy?" Lily asked.

"We gonna go train your powers," I answered. "It'll get your mind off the nightmare."

Lily looked at her mother, waiting for her permission to do so.

"Go ahead, Lily," Yori told Lily. "Just dress warm, and Mark, don't overdo her. She's still a girl."

"I know, I know," I said, putting a a black sweater.

I headed to the backyard, which was covered in snow. There was a lot of space back here. There was also a tree that held a treehouse and a swing. The perimeter was fenced up, so no outside intruders could get in.

I grabbed Tenebris, my personal sword, before heading outside. It didn't take too long for Lily to come out. When she did, she was wearing a red sweater, dark-blue jeans, white fingerless gloves and red shoes. She also had a curved-blade dagger in her hand, it was in a leather holster just like Tenebris.

Lily had gone far in training her powers during the last year. The first power she mastered was flying. Like me, she has concealed wings that only appear when we want to fly. She also mastered producing, absorbing and manipulating fire. Learning how to use a blade was second-nature to her. Now I'm teaching her to use both her dagger and her power to manipulate fire together.

"Alright, Lily, listen up," I told her. "I want you to surround yourself in a ring of fire..."

She nodded and did as so. A small ring of fire was now surrounding her.

"Good, now try to focus all that fire to the blade of your dagger, like this," I drew out Tenebris out of its leather holster. A larger ring of flames surrouded me, I closed my eye, focusing the flames onto the blade of Tenebris. I opened my eyes and the blade of Tenebris was coated in fire.

"Alright, I'll try now," Lily closed her eyes. I saw some of the fire making its way up to the blade of her dagger. Then it burst. "Eeeeek!"

She fell backward into the snow.

"Are you okay?" I asked, a little worried.

"I'm fine, daddy, just got startled," she got back up to her feet.

"Okay then, let's try again."

We tried again many times. The same results kept coming. I felt a little irritated, but I didn't really expect her to master it with her first time...Though it would have been nice...I looked at my daughter's face, it was filled with disappointment. I stabbed Tenebris into the snow and walked over to Lily, opening the ring of fire surrounding her, and got on one knee in front of her.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked, moving her light-brown bangs out of her reddish-brown eyes. I still can't get over the fact that she looks so much like her mother, excluding her eyes, which she got from me.

"I can't do it, daddy..." she wasn't looking me in the eyes anymore, she was staring down at the ground. I got up to my feet.

"Are you really my daughter?" her head slowly lifted, her eyes meeting mine.

"Huh?"

"The Lillian Wakaba I know would never give up because the way I raised her," she looked at me for a few seconds, then I saw determination reach her eyes.

"I-I wanna try again," I smiled at her. There's the Lily I know and love.

"Let me tell you something," I said. "If you really want to master this, you're going to have to not only focus but you're going have to believe in yourself and want to accomplish it. Remeber the fire represents your will. The stronger your will, the more powerful the flames."

"Okay, daddy," she wore a focused expression as I walked back to my sword.

"Oh yeah, try focusing on something you want to protect," I adviced. "It helps."

She nodded at me. I watched her, the flames around her were burning like crazy. She must have found the ones she wants to protect. My heart warmed from the thought. Her eyes were still open, they were filled with focus and determination. The flames started slowly rising to the blade of her dagger. I began to feel the suspense in the air as a quarter of the blade was coated in fire.

"She's got this..." I whisper to myself, pulling my sword out of the snow. The blade of her dagger was now three-fouth covered in fire. I waited a bit longer, and soon enough, the blade was cover in fire. "Alright, Lily, I want you to hurl a wave of fire right at me."

She nodded at me, and I took a defensive stance. Lily rose her dagger, then slashed downward, sending a giantic wave of fire me. I gulped...I didn't really expect it to be this large. I can't really block this, and I don't have enough time to absorb this...Damn, I'll just have to...

I let it hit me full on. I got sent over the fence. I had to act fast during the last few seconds I had before I hit the ground. I took off my sweater, which was on fire, my shirt being taken of with it. I slowed down with my wings, which suddenly spreaded from my back like magic, only it's not magic. My long black hair got in my face, but I made a safe swoop into the cold sky. I looked back to my burning sweater, which was now not saveable, it had not been near any of the nearby trees, so no forest fires.

I flew down back to the house, where my daughter was waiting for me. When I landed, she ran and jumped onto me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I'm sorry, daddy," she apologized. "I almost killed you..."

"No you didn't, I'm fine, cold, but fine," I told her. "But what you did was great. You suprised me when you made such a powerful wave. What'd you want to protect so badly?"

"Our family and our friends."

"Well, with that much determination to protect us, I don't think you'll have a problem," I told her. Then I heard applauses. I looked at the window of the house to see four figures. It was the Kiryuu's and Yori. Zero was laughing at me, Yuuki smiled, Subaki was waving at Lily, and Yori was holding a tray of hot chocolate.

"Hey, Lily, guess what?"

"What?"

"We have visitors!"

_**End of Chapter 1**_

_**I hope you like the first chapter. It'll be awhile before I add another chapter to this because I'm working on my Naruto fanfic at the same time as I work on this. Readers should really read my fanfic, "Knights of the Starry Sky." It will not only get you into the story, but it will also pass time.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: The News**_

_**POV: Yuuki**_

"Wow, what Lily did out there was amazing."

We had arrived at the Wakaba's Home. When Yori had brought us into the kitchen, we had saw Lily training with her father, Mark. It sure was a sight. Lily sent a giant wave of fire from her little dagger towards Mark. By the look in his face then, I bet he didn't expect it.

"I still can't believe you took that straight on," Zero chuckled, sitting next to me. Mark just shook his head. His black hair had grown out during the last four years, and I couldn't help but notice that it was somehow working for him. "How was it like to be sentt flying back by your daughter?"

"Wasn't has bad as you think, Z," Mark said. "At least my girl can use most of her powers."

"Yeah, yeah, remeber, Subaki is only four and she doesn't learn as fast as Lily," Zero said. "I blame Yuuki's genes."

"Hey!" I yelled at him. Everyone else laughed. "That's not funny."

"I know, I was only kidding around," Zero said, kissing me in the forehead.

Footsteps came running down the stairs of the house. Subaki and Lily came running into the living room, chasing each other.

"Hey, behave yourselves," Yori said. The two girls stopped and looked at her. "I know your just playing, but you're inside and you might break something or hurt yourselves."

"Okee-doe, mommy, we'll behave," Lily said. "Hey Ki-Ki, why don't we stay here."

"Okay!" Subaki walked over to sit on my lap. "Hi, mama, miss me?"

"You haven't been gone that long, silly," I told her, she smiled at me, resting her head on my chest.

"That's cute," Yori complimented. "Anyone hungry? I can make breakfast."

"I am hungry, I haven't eaten since we got up," Mark pointed out.

"Me too," said Lily, raising her hand.

"I guess I'll eat, too," Zero said, getting up from the couch. "I have to use the restroom, so I'll be right back."

I looked at Subaki who eye were on me. I gave her a little smile.

"Do you want to eat too, Subaki?" she nodded. "Next time just say something, don't wait for me to ask, okay?"

"Okay."

Yori and Mark went to the kitchen to prepare the food. I was watching the kids play outside. Lily was showing off her powers, melting he snow with little balls of fire and flying around the backyard. What suprised me was that Lily's wing didn't rip through her clothing. They just mysticly appeared. And unlike her father's wings, which were black and more realistic looking, Lily's were white and had a fuzzy mist appearence, they weren't even really attached to her back. I guess I'll have to ask Mark about.

Zero came out to join me and the kids. We had a talked a little, smooched once or twice, 'til finally Yori came to get us for breakfast. As we came in, I could smell maple syrup. We got to the kitchen, the food was on the table. There were waffles, pancakes, some egg (sunny-side up), bacon and hash-browns. It all smell delicious, I was almost drooling...Hopefully I wasn't.

"Sorry for the long wait," said Mark, now wearing a crimson tank-top with his sweatpants. "It takes awhile to make food for six people, ya know."

"It's a waffle-pancake paradise!" said the two girls together. I kinda found it creepy. The two ran at the table, but I was able to catch them both before they started eating the food before anyone else.

"Hey, where are your manners?" I asked.

"What are manners?" Subaki asked. I gave her a blank face.

"There ways we be polite to people, Ki-Ki," Lily answered.

"Oh, like saying 'please' and 'thank you,'" Subaki pointed out.

"Yup."

"Hey, are you two listening?" I asked, not liking the idea of being ignored.

"Sorry, auntie Yuuki, we won't do it again," the two walked off to sit next to each other, leaving me to stand there feeling like I failed as an adult. I justed sighed and took a seat next to Zero, who shook his head at me with a smile.

Mark walked around the table providing a plate and eating utensils, then took a seat next to Yori. We let the kids get first serving, then Yori and I took a turn, and the men took what they could. We had some nice conversations relating to how we were doing, Zero as president of the Hunter Association, Mark's job as a writer and a part-time hunter. It suprised me that Mark chose to be a writer. He writes books, documentaries and poetry. We also talked about the kids and how they've been growing up so fast, using big word for their age, and how their fighting skills and powers are developing, more Lily than Subaki.

When we had finished eating, we all headed back to the living room, except for Mark, who went upstairs to grab his poetry journal, he had promised during breakfast that he would read aloud one of his poems. He took awhile to actually come down, maybe he was building up the courage to come down. Yori told me that he wasn't really the one to really share this kind of stuff, but he came down anyways, a black jounal in hand.

"What took so long?" asked Zero.

"To tell you guys the truth, I felt a bit nervous," I knew it. He took a seat on his chair, all eyes on him. Lily jumped into her dad's lap. "What're you doing here? Don't you want to sit by Subaki?"

"Why? You don't want me to sit next to you?" she said. Mark smiled at her and brought her closer to her.

"Alright, everbody ready?" Everyone nodded. "Okay then..."

Mark cleared his voice.

_**(a/n: This is my own personal poem. I finally had the confidence put up. Hope you like it.)**_

"Darkness, a place where hope is just a word.

Where negitivity corrupts the mind.

Where the feeling of despair slowly devours you.

A place where the Light shall never shine.

When lost, we become prisoners of this dark place.

We begin to sink into the depths of insanity.

Our will to live begins to wither.

We become nothing but empty souls floating aimlessly in the void.

To this point, we have been swallowed by the Darkness.

Everything would seem hopeless...

But is everything really hopeless?

Does the Darkness really blind you from the Light?

Like the moon and the stars in the night sky,

even in the deepest Darkness, there shall always be Light.

Awaken from your delusions of Darkness,

and open your eyes to the ever so shining Light."

There was a long pause.

"The Light in the Darkness by yours truly," Mark turned a little red, scratching his cheek.

Applause filled the room.

"Now was that hard," Yori said, walking over to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"It almost made me cry, daddy," Lily said, rubbing here eyes.

"It was well written," Zero said.

"Hey, mama, did you hear the saying you and papa told me that uncle Mark told you?" Subaki asked, I nodded.

"You finally used that in a poem?" I asked Mark.

"This was the first poem I ever wrote," he answered, looking at the page with a smile. "I wrote for people who were in deep depression or were lost, or in simpler form, people who have lost hope. From already knowing the saying, you can already tell that the 'Darkness' represent depression or seemingly hopeless situations..."

"And that the 'Light' represents hope that will never fade," Yori finished. Mark gave her a small smile before kissing her.

"Eeeewwwiiie!" Lily yelled before running off to the stairs. Mark chased after her. Everything went silent, except for the sound of Mark's steps coming from upstair. "Huh? Daddy? Daddy what are y-"

There was a slight silence.

"Daddy!" Lily yelled running down the stair, her face all flushed. "I told you not to do that!"

Laughter filled the house as Mark came down the stairs. Then a knock came at the door. Mark walked over to the door, while the knocks became more rapid.

"Who is-" Mark said, opening the door.

"Mark! Are Zero and Yuuki here?!" a familiar voice said.

"Ye-Yeah. What's wrong Kaito?" Mark asked bring Kaito to the living room. Kaito was all bandaged up. Zero and I got to our feet.

"Kaname Kuran," My eyes widened as the name reached my ears. "Kaname Kuran is alive!"

There was a long silence.

"He can't be alive," I said. "We were there when he died. We watched turn to dust!"

"I can't explain it myself, but he is alive," Kaito told us. "Not only is he alive, but he's not alone. The person with him is also an ex-human, goes by the name of Leo, shoulder-length, dark-brown hair. They're both hunting you three down."

The three of us looked at him. Yori was bringing the kids upstairs.

"So he's looking for revenge, huh," Mark taking a seat. "Can you guys provide protection for our families?"

"Huh? Why?" Kaito asked, suprised by the question.

"What do you think?" Zero said. "We're gonna give them what they want. A little fight won't hurt nobody...Well maybe them more than us."

"Are you three out of your mind!" Kaito yelled. "Kaname is at full power and the Leo guy has powers we still don't know about."

"How many of you hunters were injured or killed?" Mark asked.

"Five were KIA and multiple injured," Kaito said. "They attacked the Assocation HQ straight on."

"The reason were going to them is because they won't have to search for us, which if they do keep searching, more people get killed or hurt," I explained. "We don't want people dying on our behalf. So about that protection Mark asked about..."

"I-its possible for us to provide protection," Kaito informed. "Do you guys really want to do this."

"What other choice do we have. He's not gonna stop while he's still alive," I said. "Besides, Kaname is my- I mean our responsibility."

"And as for that lackey of his, we'll hand over what's left of him to you guys," Mark said, Kaito stared with concern. "Don't worry, I plan on bringing him back alive."

Mark stood up and headed towards the stair.

"I'm gonna get ready for our departure. Zero, Yuuki, can you please have Kaito rest up, those wounds could get worse," Mark said. "I'm guessing Zero will have us leave tonight. I don't really mind, but Yuuki, you should talk to him about a plan then fill me in."

With that Mark was no longer present in the living room. As Kaito took a seat, I looked at Zero, who was staring at the stairs. Mark must have made him feel like an open book.

"So, what is the plan, honey?" I asked, Zero turning to look at me.

_**POV: Mark**_

"So you're going off again, huh?"

I'm in my room with my wife, Yori. The kids are in Lily's room. Right now, I'm about wrapping up my packing for another adventure with my two friends, Zero and Yuuki. Yori was standing beside me, watching me pack up.

"You know how important this is, Yori."

"More important than family..." she said looking down at the floor. I stopped packing and walked towards her, wrapping my arm around her body.

"Nothing is more important than family, I'm doing this to protect you and Lily, even Subaki," I said. "If I don't do this with Z and Yuuki, you three will be in more danger than I want you guys to be."

"But I still don't want you to go..." she held me tighter as if trying to restrain me.

"Why is that?" she put her hand on the large scar on my left shoulder.

"I don't want to lose you," I felt a tear hit my chest as I was reminded of the time five years ago, when Kaname Kuran had impaled me with his bare hand right through my left shoulder, almost hitting my heart and then through me across the other side of this huge living room.

"I won't be as reckless as I was then, babe," I told her kissing her on the forehead and wiping the tears on her cheek. "Besides, I have more to come back to now."

She gave me a small smile, but she still didn't seem happy about. I wasn't either. Like I said before, I'm a family person, I want to spend every moment with my family. Leaving them like this always seemed to bother me.

I heard other footstep enter the room. Yori and I, who were still holding each other, saw Lily and Subaki at the doorway. Subaki seemed to be in deep thought about something, and Lily walked forward toward us. Yori and I let go of each.

"Daddy, who is Kaname?" She asked me. I kinda expected her to ask that.

"Kaname was the one who did this to me, princess," I showed her the scar she always asked about since she was three. "Uncle Z, auntie Yuuki and I are going to have to fight with him in order to protect you three and other people."

"But isn't Kaname Ki-KI's uncle? Kuran is her middle name," she caught me off guard with the question. I looked at Subaki who's eyes were staring at me, expecting me to say something.

"Subaki, you're going to have to asked your parents about this if you want to know. Don't have Lily asked me for you," Subaki nodded and turned to the stairs. "But you should know, he is your uncle, your real uncle."

Subaki stopped for a moment. I felt like I had just done something wrong. Subaki is only four, yet she had to hear this...What's wrong with me...It was even my business to begin with. Subaki went down stairs. I sighed and turned back to my family.

"Here I finished packing your stuff," Yori said, handing me my bag, which was still pretty light, which was good. "You promise to come back?"

"I promise," I knelt down to my daughter. "Lily, you and mommy will be going with to a safe place. I want you to protect your mother, I don't really trust the Hunter Association than I do you, okay?"  
"Okay, daddy," she put her hand on the holster strapped to her jeans. I smiled at her.

"One more thing," I gave her a hug and kissed her on the forehead, this was the only spot she would let me kiss her. "Don't grow up too fast."

_**POV: Zero**_

"Papa...Mama..."

Subaki had came downstairs. Her face wore an expression of confusion and sadness. She came over to sit with Kaito, Yuuki and me. I signaled for Kaito to excuse himself for the moment, took him a moment but he got the message. He moved into the kitchen, out of sight, but still not out of hearing range. Well, it shouldn't matter.

"What's the matter, Subaki?" Yuuki asked.

"Why are you going to fight uncle Kaname?" I was suprised that she asked this question and by the expression Yuuki was wearing she was to.

"Where'd you get that Kaname was your uncle?" I asked, though the answer was obvious.

"Uncle Mark..." I knew it. He should have let us tell her, but I guess it's good she knows because I think I would have told a half true lie. "Why are you going to fight him?"

"You're uncle is a very bad person," Yuuki said. "He had done many bad thing to your dad and me. He even hurt your dad and your uncle Mark."

I took off my shirt and pointed at the deep scar on my chest.

"He did this me and he almost killed uncle Mark. He's even hurt a lot of other people," I told her, putting on my shirt. "We doing this to protect people from getting hurt. Even the people important to us...like you."

"But he's family isn't he? You said we don't hurt family, we protect them, didn't you?" I don't like where this is going, and I don't know what to even say in this situation.

There was a moment of silence.

"Yes, he is your uncle, which makes him family, but your uncle made your dad, your mom and even your uncle Mark do the unforgiveable," Kaito said, coming out of the kitchen. "Made your dad kill his own brother, your uncle Mark had to kill his sister, and your mother...Your mother had to kill your uncle herself, and I bet she didn't want to for the same reasons your bring up now."

"Hey, don't tell her so much, she's only four, Kaito," Yuuki said.

"Mama, did uncle Kaname really do that?" her eyes were on her mom, they were staring with shock. Yuuki reluctantly nodded.

"Enough," a voice said behind us. It was Mark. He was wearing a black, short sleeved polo with a crimson shirt beneath, black slacks and shoes, and a bag on his back. He was also carrying his anti-vampire weapon, Tenebris, in its holster in his hand. "Subaki has heard enough out of us. I already said my goodbyes, I suggest you two do the same with Subaki. I'll be waiting outside.

Mark headed out the door, leaving the four of us in the living room.

"Mark's right, Subaki's heard enough," I said. "Kaito, mind waiting for us with Mark?"

"I don't mind at all," Kaito said, also heading out. My family was left in the room.

"Alright, Subaki, we'll be leaving soon," I told her, though she still looked a little shocked. I knelt down and moved a few bangs that were over her eyes, and gave her smile. She smiled back. "You'll being going with Lily, auntie Yori and Kaito to the place where I work. I want you to stay safe while I'm gone, okay?"

"O-okay, papa," eyes began to tear up a little

"You don't need to cry, Subaki, everythings going to be okay," Yuuki said kneeling down to hug Subaki. "We'll be back for you before you know."

She let go of Subaki so I could hug her. I gave a hug then reached for something in my jacket. I pulled out a small revolver, and put it in Subaki's hands.

"This is a gun that will only hurt vampires, so be careful with it," I explained. I know it was a little much to be giving a four year old a gun, but I want to make sure she'll be safe with us gone. The hunters nowaday are more talk than walk. "I'm giving this to you because I want you to be absolutly safe. I already taught you how to use a gun, right?"

"Aim at the target and pull the trigger, then the bad guy will go away," she told me with a smile. I patted her on the head with approval.

"Wait for auntie Yori," Yuuki said. "We're gonna leave now."

"Okay, bye mama, bye papa," she said waving, rubbing away tears. "I love you!"

"We love you, too," I said. "We'll be back."

With that, we headed out the door. Mark and Kaito were waiting for us.

"So what's the plan?" Mark asked.

"We've decided that Kaito will bring the families to a safe place near the Association, hunters will alternate keeping watch. We'll head to our place to grab some stuff for the trip," I explained. "Then, we'll start our little hunt."

"Oh, Zero, I need to tell you something..." Kaito said, though he looked reluctant to say what he needed to say. "Um, well...Nevermind, just make sure you stop by HQ. Cross needs to tell you something..."

"Okay then," I said, a little curious to what he really wanted to tell me. "Alright, we'll be parting now. Kaito make sure our families make it there safely. Mark, Yuuki, let's go.

We headed towards my and Yuuki's home.

_**End of Chapter 2...**_

_**I hoped you like this chapter it took me awhile to get it done. Like I said before, the poem was my own, and I hope you liked it also. The title of the poem is "Light in the Darkness," and it was originally written for those in depression or those who lost their way. Like before, it will be awhile before I put up another chapter, so please be patient.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry for the late update, I get absorbed reading Umineko...such a good manga...But anyways, I'm finally done with chapter 3. Read and enjoy!**_

_**Chapter 3: "What I'm About to Do Doesn't Mean Anything..."**_

_**POV: Zero**_

"Why don't you guys have a car?"

Mark, Yuuki and I have just made it to Yuuki's and my home, We walked all the way over from Mark's house. It was just about a twenty minute, but with the deep snow on the ground you'll start getting cold and wet. Yuuki and I don't really mind, but I guess Mark is a little different.

Our house was one story. It had four rooms, two bathrooms, a big kitchen and living roome. Outside, there's a nice clean porch leading to the front door. We had just painted it white and red two or three months ago. It's also surrounded by a beautiful forest. Sometime we each have animals visiting outside.

"We like going green," Yuuki said. "Besides, cars nowadays are way too expensive."

"Heh, I see," Mark chuckled a bit. "Well, anyway, you two should head in and get your stuff, I'll wait out here."

"You don't want to come in?" I said, a little confused. "It's warmer inside than out here."

"I know that, I just want to stay out in the fresh air," Mark replied. "Besides, we won't be here long will we. I don't want to get used to the warmth of the house."

Mark waved his hand to tell us to "shoo." Yuuki and I reluctantly went inside our house as Mark leaned against the outside of the house. As we went inside, Yuuki took a peek out the window where Mark was visible.

"Do you think he's okay, Zero?" Yuuki asked.

"What do you mean?" I said.

"Haven't you noticed that Mark seems a little off," Yuuki pointed out, stepping away from the window. "He seemed in a rush to leave if you were watching him closely. He also training his daughter to fully defend herself ever since she was three and a half. And Yori says that recently, Mark seems to be arguing with himself as if trying to talk himself out of doing something."

"I see where you're trying to get at, but maybe it's just a coincidence," I said heading to our room to pack the few things we needed. "We shouldn't really worry, besides, if he is sinking down, then he'd probably tell us. Now come on, we need to pack up a little. And we need to change, the clothes we're wearing aren't going to work out for us."

We packed up to two pairs of clothing that wouldn't take much space in our bags. I then dressed into some new clothes. I put on a white, long-sleeve polo, black slacks and a brown trench coat. After dressing, I went to the bathroom to fix my hair.

Before the first time we visited Wakaba's home, I had a haircut. I faded the sides of my hair and left my bangs a little long so I could gel it up. It's been a few months since then, my hair has gotten a bit longer so I decided to fade the sides a little more and fix the length my bangs. It took a few minutes but I got it the way I wanted.

"Honey, where's your leather coat?" Yuuki asked as I was geling my hair. "Oh, wait. Never mind. I'm gonna be outside, I've already got what I need.

"Alright, I'll be right out," I told her. I heard her heading out, the sound of the front door opening and closing told me that Yuuki was out. I walked out of the bathroom, and strapped on a holster and put my gun, the Bloody Rose, in it. I then proceeded out the door.

I stepped outside to find Yuuki helping Mark off the ground. Yuuki was wearing a black formal shirt and jacket, also she was wearing a black skirt. Her short hair was up in a ponytail and her bangs clipped to the side. Excluding her hair, she kinda looked her younger self when she wore her Day Class uniform. Mark was wearing my old black leather trench coat. When he seemed to notice me, he seemed to try to hide his face from me, which made me wonder what had happened while I was inside. I heard Yuuki sigh then she walked over to me as Mark stared down the path we came from.

"What happened? Why was Mark on the ground?" I asked casually.

"He just tripped over a rock that was under the snow," Yuuki answer plainly. "You ready for the walk to the Association?"

Tripped over a rock, huh...Well, it doesn't matter...

"Yeah, let's get going."

It was a long walk to town. As we walked, Yuuki and I were talking about random topics to keep ourselves busy as we walked. Mark silently followed behind, keeping his thoughts to himself. To tell you the truth, he reminded me of my old self a bit. Though, I still have a bit of that personality in me, during the past years Ive learned to be more open thanks to Yuuki.

It took about thirty minutes for us to actually make it to town, and five more minutes to reach the Hunters, where Kaito stood waiting for us.

"So, you guys are finally here, huh..." he didn't look real happy about it, but he managed a smile. "Come on, Cross is waiting inside."

"Lead the way."

Kaito brought us inside. Some of the Hunter were glaring us down for they didn't like the fact that we were vampires. I guess there will be some people who will never accept vampires, including if there at risk of falling down to a level-E, which Mark and I are. We went down some corridors 'til finally we reached the place where Kaien Cross, former President of the Association and current Headmaster of Cross Academy, was waiting.

"So finally, you show up, , and I see you brought your lovely wife and loyal friend," Cross said with a smile. "How have you been, you three?"

"Yuuki and I have been doing great," I answered. "Did you get to meet Subaki?"

"I did actually, she quite a lively and cute girl," Cross complimented. "I also met young Lillian, she so mature for a five-year-old."

"I try to get her to just be a kid, though it's a little hard considering the way I raised her while she was four," Mark said, looking down at his feet. Cross just stared him for a bit.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Mark," Cross told him, patting him on the back. "Anyway, I assume your here about the news Kaito gave you."

"Kaname is back with a guy we don't know about, and he's searching for us now," I said, Cross seemed to be waiting for me to say more. "That's all Kaito told us."

"So, he didn't tell you," he glanced over Kaito, who was hiding his face.

"I didn't have the guts to tell him..." Kaito said.

"What're you talking about?" I asked.

"It's about Yagari-sensei," Kaito said. I felt my heart stop. "He was one of the KIA, he died defending those useless people calling themselves hunters."

My eyes widened to the news that was being told to me. Yagari-sensei...dead...I don't want to accept this. How could he die? If only I were there to help he'd still be-

A hand wrapped itself around mine. I glanced to see Yuuki standing by my side, holding my hand tightly. She didn't say a word, but her eyes were speaking to me. They told me stop blaming myself for something that wasn't my fault to begin with. Though, I wasn't blaming myself anymore, I still felt a deep sadness and pain...It didn't take long for those feelings to turn to anger.

"Who did it?" I asked, my voice full of seriousness.

"Wha-"

"I asked who did it? Who killed Yagari-sensei?" I could feel my anger swelling inside of me. "Was it Kaname?!"

"Don't go losing your temper, Zero," Yuuki told me. "You need to stay calm."

I took in a deep breathe, then exhaled. I felt calmer, but it didn't really help.

"So who was it then?" I asked again, but this time more calmly.

"It was that Leo person, Kaname is still quite weak to even fight, but he still was there," Cross answered.

Who exactly is this Leo...Did he bring Kaname back to life like he did Mark's sister? And what for? To assist Kaname on revenge? Or to use Kaname's power as his own?

I felt Yuuki's hand tighten more around mine, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Mark.

"Don't stress over this, Z," Mark said with a smile. He seemed to be back to his normal self. "I don't think Leo was that good of a fighter to kill Yagari, Yagari was just protecting those stupid posers. The good thing is that he went like a hero. And Leo, when we finally meet him, we'll both make him regret what he's done, alright."

His words made me feel a little at ease. I felt Yuuki's hand loosen its grip. Now that I felt better, there was one question on my mind.

"Where were they last seen?" I asked.

"They were last seen going to the Kuran's Mansion," Cross told us. "It's still in the day, so they should both be resting for they are also vampire. Do you plan on attacking during this time."

"No, Yuuki and I aren't as adjusted to the day as Mark, we're both still tired," I explained. "We plan on resting for awhile. I hope you don't mind, Mark."

"I don't mind, besides, I need some rest as well," Mark said. "I haven't been feeling good."

"You seemed fine when we were at your house," I pointed out. Mark chuckled a bit.

"I didn't want Yori and Lily to worry about me," he said, scratching his head.

"Are you going to be okay?" Cross asked, a little concern in his voice.

"Yeah, don't worry about," Mark said, heading towards the door that we came in through. "If you don't mind, I need to get some fresh air."

Mark exited the room, leaving us all in concern.

"Do you think he's turning to a level-E?" Kaito asked.

"It's one of the possibilities," Cross said. "Yuuki, could you-"

"Don't worry, I'm on it," Yuuki said. She let go of my hand and headed out to follow Mark.

I knew why she was sent. Sucking the blood of a Pureblood can prevent vampires like me and Mark from sinking down to a level-E. Yuuki is a Pureblood, reason why I haven't become a level-E in the past five years. If Mark is sinking down to a level-E, then Yuuki's blood is nessacary for the situation. But still, it makes me wonder...

"If Mark is turning into a level-E why didn't he say anything?"

_**POV: Yuuki**_

"Where is he?"

I on a little hunt for my friend, Mark. Zero, Kaito, the Headmaster and I have suspected that he may be turning to a level-E. I have just gotten outside, but he's nowhere in sight. He just got out, so he couldn't have gotten that far.

I scanned the area seeing if I could see him walking off.

"Who're you looking for?" a voice said behind. I turned to see Mark sitting down on the edge of the sidewalk, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Mark!" I rushed my way to him, sitting next to him on the sidewalk. "Are you really okay, Mark?"

"I'm fine," Mark said. "Didn't I say I needed fresh air?"

I wasn't convinced.

"Look me in the eye and say that," I told him. He didn't move, his bangs still covering his eyes. I gave him another moment, but nothing. "Mark, what are y-"

Mark picked me up from the ground, and in a instant, we were in a different spot, an alley somewhere in town. Mark had me pressed against a wall, still not looking at me, but the ground.

"How did we-" I started.

"Warp speed," Mark told me. "Now, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not taking your blood..."

"Mark, your going to sink down to a level-E," I told him. "I know you don't want to hurt your family or your friends. So just please-"

"Stop it!" Mark yelled, his face now facing mine. His eyes, which were supposed to be a dark brown, were now glowing a malicous red. "I can't do it, alright!"

"Why can't you?" I asked calmly.

"Because...Because I'm afraid once I start, I won't stop," I told me, his eyes tearing up. "I'll lose myself...I don't want to do to you what I did to that Pureblood. I don't want to lose such an important friend!"

Mark fell to his knee as tears began to fall from his eyes. This was the first time I've seen him cry, so I kind of suprised me. I knew how much Mark cared for those that he held close to him. I knew that he was afraid that he might hurt me. I went down on my knees and wrapped my arms around him, and to my suprise, he pulled me in closer with his. His head resting on my chest, I could feel his tears soaking themselves into my shirt. All I could do was pat his back and let him cry.

"Why'd I have to be like this?" Mark said through tears. "I never wanted to be like this. Everyday I have to find a way to feed my vampire self. I even resort to animals that come near the house...How filthy and unsatisfying. I'm even neglecting the tablets. The only reason I keep pushing myself is for you guys and our future...I want to be able to wake up to my wife sleeping right beside me, I want to watch my daughter grow and graduate the same school we did, I want to laugh and enjoy myself with my friends...Those are the few of the many reasons I do what I do...but still, to bring myself to sink my teeth into you...It scares me, Yuuki. Everytime I feed, I never stop 'til every single ounce of blood is gone."

I felt sorry for Mark. I feel sorry for even trying to make him take some of my blood, but what else was I suppose to do. Like Mark cares for his friends, I care for him the same way. I could even say I like him, but just like. I'm a married woman you know, I can't just be going around having an affair. And besides, he's also married, and to my best friend.

"I'll do it..." Mark's voice said through my thoughts. His head rose, his eyes were now back to it's normal dark brown color. "I need to do this."

"That's what I've been telling you..." I said with a smile. I moved the collar of my jacket so that my neck was visible.

"You want me to bite there?" Mark said looking at my neck. I could tell he was breathing heavily from the cold air.

"Sorry, I guess it's kinda second-nature for me, you prefer somewhere else?" I asked, feeling kind of stupid asking.

"No, it's fine..." He leaned in closer to my neck. I could feel the warmth of his breathe on my neck. "I want you to know, what I'm about to do doesn't mean anything, okay?"

"Oka-" I began to say before I felt Mark slowly licked the side of my neck, sending a chill down my spine. I closed my eyes in reaction. I open my left eye a peek to see Mark's face a little red out of embarassment, and his eyes began to glow a soft red, which told me he was trying to control himself. For some reason, I felt my breathing get heavier and my face began to burn up a little. I watched as Mark slowly opened his mouth...I watched him lean in closer and closer and...

Mark pushed me away and drew out his sword, Tenebris, to block two swords that were swung at us by a hooded man in a black cloak. The hooded man jumped back. The only thing visible of the man's face was his mouth and one deadly red glowing eye. I got back to my feet and drew out Artemis and took a stance by Mark, who didn't seem at one-hundred percent.

"Are you okay?" I asked, my eyes on the attacker.

"I haven't had blood for a week, so I feel a little light headed," that kind of explains why he took Lily's attack full on in the morning. "I can still fight though."

In the corner of my eye, I saw flames emerge from the ground, but they didn't burn as wildly as they did before. By the look on Mark's face, he didn't seem quite pleased about it. The hooded man seemed to notice Mark's lack of strength, and charged at him at really quick speed. Mark was able to block what could have been a deadly attack in the nick of time, but Mark stumbled backwards and the flames dissolved into the air. I acted fast, I swung Artemis, which was still in its staff form, at the hooded man, but I was blocked. I turned and ran up the nearest wall to evade an attack from one of the hooded man's swords. I leapt off the wall and was airborn. I swung down as hard as I could with Artemis, but I missed as the hooded man leapt back once more. I hit the ground with large impact that the concreit cracked a bit. Mark charged at the man at warp speed, but the man blocked the relentless swing of Mark's quick attacks. Mark got ended up getting kick back in front of me, sliding across the rough ground.

"That did not feel to good," Mark said, getting up. "Who are you?"

The hooded man was silent.

The next instant happened fast. The hooded man first took a charging stance and the next he was gone. Next, I found myself being wrapped in Mark's arms, and in a blink of an eye, we were somewhere near Cross Academy.

"Gaaahh!" Mark yelled, falling to the ground.

"What's wrong?!" I said panicking.

"My arm!" he yelled. I looked, there was a big cut on his arm, not deep, but still big.

"I got a small first-aid in my bag," I put down Artemis and pulled the first-aid out of my bag, and then started beginning on treating the wound.

It didn't take too long. I was able to stop the bleed a bit. I wrapped the wound in gauze to protect it a little, then cut a bit of Mark's sleeve to tie around the gauze. But even though the wound was treated, Mark still needed blood.

"Mark, here!" I pulled him close to me, pulled down my collar and waited. He didn't dp anything. "What're you waiting for?"

"I-I can't make myself do it again..." Mark said, looking away from me. I gave him a disappointed look.

"You have to Mark, not only because your becoming a level-E, but also because you're lacking blood," I told him. He didn't look at me, but he gave a faint smile. "Come on, bite me!"

He didn't say anything.

"Fine," I said before biting down on my lip. I started to taste blood. I turned Mark's head towards me.

"What're you-"

"What I'm about to do doesn't mean anything," I said before leaned forward towards him, our lips meeting.

At first, he tried to resist, but then gave up a few seconds after. I could feel Mark slowly taking in the blood that was mix with my saliva. I could feel my face burn up just a little, and my tongue slowly began to dance with his. My mind began to drift from reality, just focusing on the sensation I was feeling-

Mark pushed me away gently. His eye opened, glowing a soft red.

"That's enough..." Mark said in a calm voice. He seemed to want to say something else. Maybe he wanted to say how wrong this was because we were both married to different people and those people were our friends, but he didn't manage to get the words. "Umm...Thank you."

I gave him a smile while I wiped off the saliva on his chin.

"Remember, I did this to help you, not because of feeling, alright?" I said. He gave me a nod and then stood up. He gave me a hand even though he didn't need to, but I accepted it anyways. "We need to head back to the Hunters' Association's HQ."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he picked me up in his arms. "Don't get the wrong idea, it's just easier this way."

"Before we go, I want to say that we need to keep this our little secert, Zero and Yori will get the wrong idea if they find out," I told him.

"I know, now hold on and close your eye, you'll get dizzy if you don't," I listened to what he said and closed my eyes, holding as tight as I could in the postion I was in. As if nothing happened, Mark's voice reached my ears. "We're here."

Mark set me on my feet and I opened my eyes, and, like he said, we were at the Association's HQ. We walked into the entrance where Zero and the Headmaster were waiting. Both their faces looked with shock at Mark's arm. I opened my mouth something, but Mark spoke first.

"I'll explain what happened, but before that, can we at least have a nice place to sit, I'm soooooo tired."

That's the Mark we know and love.

_**End of Chapter 3...**_


End file.
